Ebenalp and Wildkirchli

Overview

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Intro

Already Neanderthal men were here where today a cableway sweeps visitors up and over the rugged rocks of the once populated Ebenalp caves - and a great departure point for various discoveries.

Wasserauen is the last stop on the Appenzell Railway. Trains from Gossau terminate here every half hour, eleven minutes after Appenzell. Passengers then ride up in the cable car.

From the top, the path leads through the prehistoric Wildkirchli caves – inhabited around 40,000 years ago – and down to the hermitage and the famous Aescher mountain guesthouse. Prehistoric stone tools were found in this area 100 years ago, proving that hunter-gatherers lived here in the Late Stone Age (45,000 – 30,000 BC). The remains of cave bears were also found.

Information

Altitude: 1640m Accessibility: Train to Appenzell and on to Wasserauen, cable car to the Ebenalp View: Over the Seealp and Meglisalp, Säntis, Altmann and Hoher Kasten, over Appenzell country and Lake Constance to Germany and further west to Feldberg Attractions: Alpine garden by the Berggasthaus Ebenalp Culinary aspects: Hearty and wholesome Appenzeller specialities Winter: Winter sports region with ski-lifts on the Ebenalp Special comments: A safe path via Aescher leads through the caves